Nadine Ijewere was born to a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother in South-east London in 1992, studying photography at UAL’s London College of Fashion. Her work, influenced by her heritage, challenges Eurocentric beauty standards and emphasises diversity, especially among Black women. She was the first woman of colour to shoot a cover story for <em>Vogue</em> in 2020, attaining this accomplishment again for American <em>Vogue</em> in 2021.
Photographer Nadine Ijewere was born to a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother in South-east London in 1992. From her childhood, she showed a keen interest in arts and crafts, enjoying activities such as drawing, creating with her hands, and working with ceramics. Despite initially considering a career in medicine, Ijewere discovered her passion for photography during her teenage years. This led her to pursue photography at UAL’s London College of Fashion. Upon graduation, Ijewere joined an interior design firm based in the Chelsea Harbour Design Centre in London, while also dedicating her spare time to photography. Her weekends were entirely devoted to photo shoots. Initially, she focused on photographing her mixed-race friends, before expanding her subjects through street casting. Ijewere's drive to pursue photography stemmed from a lack of representation in fashion media. As she put it, 'when I looked through fashion publications, I didn't really see anyone that looked like me or anyone that had my hair, my texture. My question was: How come there is only one specific type of beauty? It makes you feel bad because you're not fitting in, but everyone should be celebrated’ (Alemoru 2020). As a young Black woman, Ijewere frequently faced the challenge of assimilating into a society dominated by Eurocentric beauty standards. This often led her to modify her natural hair, opting for methods like straightening or using weaves and extensions. Blending fashion and portrait photography, Ijewere aims to provide those kinds of images for future generations, showcasing the diversity of beauty, particularly among Black women. Drawing inspiration from her Jamaican and Nigerian roots, her work predominantly explores themes of identity and diversity. Her work challenges the negative connotations and stereotypes often associated with Black communities and women. Ijewere recognises that having access to diverse and positive representations can have a profound impact on young people's self-image and aspirations. By creating images that young Black individuals can identify with and see themselves reflected in, she contributes to a more inclusive and affirming cultural landscape.
Ijewere's photography has been showcased in prestigious publications such as i-D, Wall Street Journal, and Vogue. Notably, she was the first woman of colour to shoot a cover story for British Vogue in 2020, and she attained this accomplishment again for American Vogue in 2021. Her work has also been part of notable group exhibitions, including the Generation exhibition at Tate Britain in 2016 and The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion at the Saatchi Gallery in London in 2022, the latter highlighting photographers who have been pivotal in reshaping representations in art and fashion. In 2020, Ijewere collaborated with avant-garde hairstylist Jawara for the Tallawah exhibition. Held at London's Cob Gallery, this project celebrated the unique aesthetic of the Jamaican diaspora, featuring a fusion of diverse elements, such as architecturally inspired hairstyles, decorative jewellery, and embellished baby hair, all presented in vivid, multicoloured images. As a Black woman who had experienced the need to conform to certain hairstyles to gain acceptance, Ijewere utilised this project to showcase the diversity and allure of natural hair. This endeavour marked her inaugural trip to Jamaica, a significant journey considering her heritage. There, she approached the portrayal of her models with a focus on ensuring their dignity and autonomy, consciously avoiding the exoticisation that is often prevalent in media representations.
Ijewere's inaugural solo exhibition, titled Beautiful Disruption, was hosted at C/O Berlin in 2021. Following this, in 2023, she presented her first solo show in the UK at Huxley-Parlour. The title of the exhibition, Antithesis, was a reference to the creative evolution expressed in the works displayed. The photographs presented a blend of conventional fashion imagery with elements of street and studio portraiture, intertwining her personal narrative. The exhibition showcased a collection of thirteen large-scale colour photographs, encompassing a creative span from 2019 to 2023. Many of the images, including her recent work from Senegal, were displayed publicly for the first time. The works were notable for their sensual and intimate nature, exemplifying Ijewere’s mastery of colour and her innovative approach to composition. A significant aspect of Ijewere's exhibition was her focus on tonality and tactile elements, complemented by a technique that emphasised a painterly abstraction through form and patterning. She skillfully utilised these artistic methods to blur the lines between different photographic genres, employing the textural qualities of fabrics and settings in a move towards imaginative world-building. In 2020, Ijewere was honoured with the Infinity Award by the International Center of Photography in New York. Further acclaim in the UK came in 2022 when she received the Royal Photographic Society’s Award for Editorial, Advertising and Fashion Photography. Ijewere's first book, Our Own Selves, published by Prestel in 2021, was a compilation of over 160 photographs, illustrating her efforts to deconstruct conventional beauty stereotypes in the industry. Ijewere’s work is not currently represented in UK public collections.
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